New Delhi: Delhi Police has placed Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke under preventive arrest and released All India Students’ Association (AISA) chief Neha Bora after detaining them ahead of the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ protest march at Connaught Place in the national capital.
Dipke was arrested following action under Sections 126 and 170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in connection with apprehensions of a breach of peace. He is expected to be produced before the Special Executive Magistrate (SEM) court later on Saturday.
Bora was released early Saturday morning after the completion of detention formalities under Section 65 of the Delhi Police Act.
CJP legal head Ratna Singh alleged that Dipke’s whereabouts remained unknown and claimed that lawyers had not been allowed to meet him.
The detentions took place as opposition parties, student organisations and civil society groups have been holding protests across several parts of the country, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
After her release, Bora alleged that protesters were being detained without valid reasons and kept in custody for hours, claiming that such actions were intended to instil fear among ordinary citizens.
She said the ongoing movement had repeatedly witnessed protesters being apprehended and released the following morning or evening, raising concerns over the justification for their detention.
Bora demanded the immediate release of Dipke and other detained protesters, asserting that they were ordinary citizens seeking accountability and protection of their right to vote.
On Friday, both CJP and AISA had raised concerns over the whereabouts of their respective leaders, alleging that they were denied access to lawyers and associates after being detained while on their way to participate in the ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ protest.
CJP had claimed that Dipke was taken to an undisclosed location and that the party had lost contact with him. AISA, meanwhile, alleged that Bora was being held alone at the Anti-Narcotics Task Force facility in Mangolpuri.
